1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to organization management technology, and more particularly, to network-based systems and methods for sales force management.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Sales management technology has grown up in the era of large multinational organizations. Often, such large organizations require large sales forces, the management and performance of which is often a critical component of a corporation's success. As a result, organizations have sought to improve the process by which sales professionals practice their craft through the use of sales management applications. Sales management applications enable organizations to define, manage, and track the implementation of the sales process. Consequently, an organization is able to constructively guide the daily activities of a sales professional to the betterment of the organization.
The daily activities of a sales professional often involve meeting with potential customers, analyzing the customers' needs, and assembling presentations for the customers that describe solutions to the customers' problems. Traditionally, salespeople create presentations by starting with a presentation that worked well in the past and then modifying that presentation for a current prospect. Though doing so is usually more efficient than starting from scratch, this process is also time-consuming and error-prone. Salespeople must not only change such basic information as the customer's name, but also possibly restructure the presentation so that it fits the new prospect's unique needs. For example, the original presentation may have included slides directed to the value of the organization's product, whereas the new prospect is more concerned with other decision criteria, such as speed or extra features. Due to these differences, the new presentation can take a long time to create and may not match the needs of the customer.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods for creating sales and other types of presentations.